Take control of your educational future at Feb. 26 UET online forum
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Now is the time for you to begin or expand your professional development. Your Union Education Trust (UET) is here to help you succeed, but you may have questions about how we can help. No worries, the UET Open Forum Online is the place to get those questions answered!
As an OCSEA member, you are cordially invited to join the next quarterly UET Open Forum Online via Zoom on Thursday, February 26, 2026, from 4:30 p.m.-5:30 p.m.. Please plan on attending this FREE online event to get your UET questions answered and gain new knowledge regarding utilization of your benefits.
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Take Control of Your Future
at the UET Open Forum Online
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Tell the Dept. of Education: "We Are Professionals!"
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Professional union workers are fighting back against a new Dept. of Education rule that would exclude nurses, social workers and public health workers from being considered "professionals." This new rule would restrict access to federal student loans for these and other dedicated professionals who want to pursue a graduate degree. This would even further impact OCSEA/AFSCME jobs and make current understaffing issues even more dire.
We are calling on the administration to rescind the proposed rule and treat our nation’s critical health care workforce with the respect they earn every single day, saving lives and keeping our communities strong. Read more about the rule change and how to make public comment to the DOE. Tell them that nurses, social workers, and public health workers are professionals.
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When extreme weather hits, the union difference saves lives
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The union difference isn’t just about the lives impacted by the essential workers who are protecting their communities; it’s also about making sure those workers who do that job get home safe and healthy at the end of the day, too. From record-breaking heat to flash floods to increasingly volatile winter storms, extreme weather is no longer an occasional disruption. For AFSCME members, including OCSEA members, it’s part of the job.
Sanitation workers collapse from heat exhaustion during summer routes that now regularly exceed 100 degrees. Road crews face floodwaters that can sweep away equipment in minutes. Parks and recreation employees work through heat advisories and deep freezes to keep public spaces open and safe. And as extreme weather hits, one thing is clear: workers shouldn’t be left to absorb that risk alone.
Read more, including an OCSEA member winter weather hero story.
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OCSEA members brave all kinds of weather to keep Ohio safe and healthy. Check out our amazing OCSEA members below who work in all types of weather conditions and are proud to show their union pride with their new OCSEA hats. Want a hat too? If able, email us a picture on-the-job to communications@ocsea.org and we'll send you a hat.
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What a century of Black History Month teaches us about today's fight for working people
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One hundred years ago this month, a Black scholar and the son of former slaves set out to change the way we celebrate our shared history. Carter Woodson was tired of seeing the role of African Americans overlooked and underappreciated, and in 1926 he declared the very first “Negro History Week” — a predecessor to today’s Black History Month.
For Woodson, this designation wasn’t just about recognizing the past. It was meant to “inspire us to greater achievements” in the future, as he once put it. A century later, during Black History Month, we celebrate the civil rights and labor rights leaders who came before us.
Today, we remember their sacrifices. But we also recognize that Black History Month has never been simply a time capsule of the past. It’s a celebration of our struggle — past, present, and future — and a reminder that one voice can lead to a chorus of collective action that refuses to be silenced. Read more.
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Union-made sweets include Annabelle Candy Company, Ghirardelli Chocolate, Hershey’s Kisses, Hershey’s Milk Chocolate Bars, Hershey’s Milk Chocolate with Almonds Candy Bars, Jelly Belly Candy Company, Sconza Candy Company, See’s Candies (BCTGM), Tootsie Roll and Tootsie Pops.
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Union Bulletin Board flyers available for download
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Apply for the Les Best Scholarship by April 30:
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CC: OCSEA Board and Staff
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Disclaimer: If you are receiving this email at a State of Ohio work email address, please note that your State email is on file with the union per your request. We highly recommend that you update your personal email address with OCSEA as soon as possible. Update your personal email HERE or log on to your MyOCSEA account to view your profile. Haven't created your MyOCSEA account yet? Create one HERE.
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